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Robbie Parry
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Posted: 14 February 2018 at 3:31pm | IP Logged | 1 post reply

What more can be said? 

Why do I post about this? Why do any of us? Perhaps it's cathartic, perhaps I hope my words will somehow, in the ether, help contribute towards change. 

Every time I hear about a shooting, I pray (not in a literal sense) that there'll be injuries, but not fatalities. American or not, I think the shooting of anyone in cold blood is awful. 

Fuck senators, the NRA, GOA and anyone else responsible.

No doubt the "If I had a gun and was passing..." brigade will be on social media tonight.

And I suspect the politicians will be out with their prayers soon. Fuck them, too.

How can they say they are pro-life? Yes,  you are, for 9 months when a child is in a womb; after that, not pro-life.

Okay, I want to make this topic useful: realistically (legally), is there anything, even the barest beginnings, that could be done to do something about gun violence? (And gun violence seems a redundant term because the only purpose of guns is violence, yes I realise that can be in self-defence, e.g. a sheriff protecting life).

I suppose the "Would we tell Ford to not produce cars because of drunk drivers?" advocates will be out on social media, too.

If deaths are to be never in vain, something surely must be done sooner or later.
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Charles Valderrama
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Posted: 14 February 2018 at 3:49pm | IP Logged | 2 post reply

Why do you post about this? Why do any of us?

Well, because we care. And JB's forum (thankfully) is a place where we can share our feelings about current events in the world and how it effects us.

That said, this makes me angry... just as the other times did.

Most people will go with the whole "thoughts & prayers" response.That should help.* Our elected officials will move forward from this with no action.

-C!

*sarcasm


Edited by Charles Valderrama on 14 February 2018 at 4:34pm
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Rebecca Jansen
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Posted: 14 February 2018 at 4:07pm | IP Logged | 3 post reply

Yes, just watching a little about some of this on the news. I think basically people have chosen for the most part the freedom to have access to firearms, the ship has sailed long ago where the U.S. could become another sort of country. It does seem though, and I have known some NRA members, that those in charge will have to heed something of what Ronald Reagan wrote once about military style weapons being out among the general civilian populace. The bump stock, the large magazine clips, the things to take a semi-auto to fully, Brady bill reinstalled/better psych background checks. I can't see what the delay is, but I absolutely know that human beings kill human beings, always have always will.

I'm honestly neither 'left' nor 'right'. One grandfather was a hunter, another was a sniper in WWII. We were brought up to respect and know how dangerous guns can be, that they are offensive rather than defensive devices, that rural people genuinely need a rifle or two around.

There's really nothing left to say but maybe people listening to each other where they haven't before? I have family and friends in the U.S. and I don't think I am any less safe there even unarmed because most people are decent with lives and loved ones they care about too. This isn't to say "the only thing you have to fear is fear itself" but there is some truth to that.

As always, hoping for the least damage knowing there absolutely has been some damage done. As for religion, I'm a committed Pastafarian these days. I choose to believe on faith that the flying spaghetti monster loves all his little meatballs, and am comforted by wearing the sacred colander. Seriously; God (ineffable father spirit?) probably has nothing to do with these things, unless it was creating something with free will in the first place. The Robin Hood type dude in the baby blankets never existed, sorry, he would've looked like Klinger in M-a-s-h, and having been addressed as Rabbi according to the oldest surviving bits, could've been married (horrors). It's nice to remember he is in the Qur-an too. He said some things a number of people felt should be remembered, and I value some of those things as still challenging.

Hope I did okay. I wish people in Florida and the U.S. only well!
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Doug Centers
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Posted: 14 February 2018 at 5:37pm | IP Logged | 4 post reply

I'm sick to my stomach.

Lives that will never reach their potential.

12 school shootings thus far in 2018. Stop the madness!!!!!
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James Johnson
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Posted: 14 February 2018 at 6:05pm | IP Logged | 5 post reply

When these school shootings happened in the inner-cities, we knew that lawmakers and the NRA did not give a damn.

When the shooting occurred at the elementary school in Sandy Hook back in Dec 2012, the lawmakers and the NRA showed us they did not give a fuck.

The Las Vegas mass shooting October of last year, where most of the folks who attended the country festival, fit the NRA demographics. Nothing positive came about changing gun laws. 

Hell, even a congressman was shot last year while playing softball.

Does anyone really believe any REAL changes will come about with our gun laws?
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Jason Czeskleba
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Posted: 14 February 2018 at 6:18pm | IP Logged | 6 post reply

 James Johnson wrote:
we knew that lawmakers and the NRA did not give a damn.


It would be more accurate to say that a majority of the American people do not give a damn.  At least, not enough to vote for people who would make common sense changes to the law.  Those who care and are willing to do something about it are sadly outnumbered.  Blaming Congress sidesteps the real issue.  Congress does nothing because the voters allow them to do nothing.


Edited by Jason Czeskleba on 14 February 2018 at 6:21pm
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Brian Floyd
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Posted: 14 February 2018 at 6:21pm | IP Logged | 7 post reply

Nothing will change, due to the gun lobby. The NRA are nothing but a bunch of jerks who care more about people being armed - even if it is just for recreational purposes - than innocent lives. 

I know a few NRA members (some who are actually police) who see nothing wrong with current gun laws. 

Lets not forget that the NRA wants bumpstock devices regulated, not done away with, and silencers legalized. Can you imagine the chaos if some maniac has weapons with both of those attached?!


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Joe Zhang
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Posted: 14 February 2018 at 6:35pm | IP Logged | 8 post reply

If this happened at an elite school or university, the gun problem would be solved the day after. Politicians of both parties would be falling over each other in a rush to ban guns and protect their own children and of their wealthy donors. I'm not wishing this on anyone, but that's just how our world works. 

Edited by Joe Zhang on 14 February 2018 at 6:37pm
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Vinny Valenti
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Posted: 14 February 2018 at 6:41pm | IP Logged | 9 post reply

My niece is a student at this high school, but she was one of the students that evacuated to the nearby Walmart.

Florida is a gun-tolerant state, so I wonder what the spin is going to be about why gun-toting civilians/teachers didn't put a stop to this quicker.

I am grateful that the state has the death penalty, at least.
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Brian O'Neill
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Posted: 14 February 2018 at 6:45pm | IP Logged | 10 post reply

Drastic change is also needed in how this country deals with the mentally ill. "Ignoring them until they shoot somebody" doesn't work. 
More places to put these 'assholes of creation' away would dramatically reduce the pool of customers buying these guns that should never have been available to the idiots in the first place.
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Jason Czeskleba
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Posted: 14 February 2018 at 7:16pm | IP Logged | 11 post reply

 Joe Zhang wrote:
If this happened at an elite school or university, the gun problem would be solved the day after. Politicians of both parties would be falling over each other in a rush to ban guns and protect their own children and of their wealthy donors.


I do not think you are correct about this.   The gun lobby does not care who is killed, because they take their orders from the gun manufacturing industry.  Congress does not care either, as long as the gun lobby gives them sizable donations and the voters do not hold them accountable.  There could be a mass shooting at an NRA meeting, or within the halls of Congress itself, and it would not make a difference.  The only thing that could change the situation is if a majority of voters start making opposition to gun regulation a major factor upon which they are willing to base their votes.  That seems unlikely.


Edited by Jason Czeskleba on 14 February 2018 at 7:49pm
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Jason Czeskleba
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Posted: 14 February 2018 at 7:18pm | IP Logged | 12 post reply

 Brian O'Neill wrote:
Drastic change is also needed in how this country deals with the mentally ill. "Ignoring them until they shoot somebody" doesn't work.

The problem is that such changes require money, and the people who oppose gun regulation also tend to be the people who oppose paying for new social service programs and who support bankrupting the government with drastic tax reductions for the wealthy.


Edited by Jason Czeskleba on 14 February 2018 at 7:50pm
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